


Devil's Bargain

by 27dragons



Category: Marvel (Comics)
Genre: 1872 (Marvel), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, F/M, M/M, Revenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:41:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28290318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/27dragons/pseuds/27dragons
Summary: Sheriff Rogers is dead, shot in the back by one of Mayor Fisk’s hired thugs. Tony would like to mourn, but there’s work to be done, first.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 16
Kudos: 100
Collections: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020





	Devil's Bargain

**Author's Note:**

> The "canonical character death" in the tags has already taken place when this story picks up; it takes place in Marvel's 1872 comics series, diverging from that story after Steve's death.
> 
> This story fills my Bucky Barnes Bingo square U1 - Good Guys Gone Bad (full header in the endnote).

Tony stood at the edge of the cemetery, his hand curled tight around the neck of the whiskey bottle as he watched the mourners slowly peel away, until there was only one person left, staring numbly at the headstone. Tony took a swig from the bottle -- it didn’t numb the pain, but it made the edges a little less sharp -- and made his way across the neatly-kept grounds to the side of the fresh-turned grave. He wondered what they’d found to bury, but he didn’t really want to know.

“Widow Barnes,” he said by way of greeting.

“Mister Stark,” she returned, not looking away from the headstone.

“My condolences on your loss.” He offered her the bottle.

Somewhat to his surprise, she took it and drank, grimacing slightly as it hit the back of her throat. “It’s your loss, too.”

“All of Timely mourns the loss of the good sheriff,” Tony agreed, and Natasha finally pulled her gaze from Steve’s grave to look at Tony.

“Don’t play the idiot with me, Stark,” she said. “I know what you were to each other.”

Tony didn’t respond, but he was the first to break and look away.

Of course Steve had told Deputy Barnes, and of course Barnes had told his wife. That Natasha hadn’t used that knowledge against either of them -- Tony wasn’t sure, yet, what that meant. 

“And Fisk’s taken that away from you,” she said after a moment. “Along with the last real link I had to my James.” She took another swig of the whiskey and handed the bottle back.

The glass held a faint warmth where she’d held it. “Maybe we should do something about that.”

“Why, Mister Stark,” Natasha said with poorly-feigned shock. “Are you implying that we should seek revenge? Against our lawfully-elected mayor and his duly-appointed representatives? Take the law into our own hands? What would the good sheriff think?”

“Steve’s dead,” Tony said, and took a pull of the whiskey to force down the knot in his throat that had risen, just from saying the words. “I don’t give a good damn what he would think.” Another lie, that, and Tony would live the rest of his life knowing that he’d let Steve down, yet again. But it was a devil’s bargain -- fail to live up to Steve’s example, or fail to avenge Steve’s death, each choice more intolerable than the other. But one way or another, the rage Tony felt was going to consume him, and at least in avenging Steve, there was a bare possibility that some good might come of it.

Natasha hummed thoughtfully and resumed her close examination of Steve’s headstone. A long while later, she said, “Well then, Mister Stark. How do you propose we should begin our career as outlaws?”

"I recommend dying, for a start," said a man's voice from behind them.

Tony whirled around, hand going to his hip, but the man who stood there wasn't any of Fisk's thugs. Far from it.

"James?" Natasha whispered, and Tony didn't think he'd ever see tears in her eyes again.

Bucky Barnes flipped something that sparkled and shone in the sunlight, and when it landed in his palm, Tony saw that it was Steve's sheriff's badge, dented from where the bullet had hit it and crusted in the corners with Steve's blood. "If Steve's gone, I reckon that makes me sheriff, now." 

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Devil's Bargain  
> Square: U1 - Good Guys Gone Bad  
> Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28290318  
> Rating: T  
> Warnings/Tags: 1872, Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Revenge  
> Ship: Steve/Tony, Bucky/Nat  
> Wordcount: 565  
> Summary: Sheriff Rogers is dead, shot in the back by one of Mayor Fisk’s hired thugs. Tony would like to mourn, but there’s work to be done, first.


End file.
